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When Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin first set foot in Austin, he probably felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. The Longhorns’ offense is loaded with some of the fastest, most dynamic playmakers in all of college football, including senior D.J. Monroe and freshman standout, Daje Johnson. When the ball is in the hands of these players, good things happen.
So why don’t we see them more often?
One of the biggest mysteries among Longhorn fans over the last few seasons is why Monroe doesn’t get more touches on offense.
After all, the shifty playmaker is averaging eight yards per play this season and nearly eight yards per play over his 3.5-year career with the Horns. Additionally, Monroe has scored three touchdowns in just 14 offensive touches this season.
Likewise, freshman Daje Johnson, a D.J. clone it seems, is averaging 8.4 yards on the ground and 14.4 through the air this season. Yet somehow, he has just 17 touches for the year.
That means these two guys are averaging less than two touches per game.
In the Longhorns two losses this season, to the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma Sooners, Monroe did not get a single offensive touch. That bears repeating: In the Longhorns two losses this season, Monroe did not get a single offensive touch!
Johnson touched the ball just three times vs. the Mountaineers and just five against the Sooners. Coincidentally, he averaged 18 yards with these limited touches.
So, the main question here is why? Why do they often sit on the bench as the offense struggles to move the ball?
When these two guys are involved, good things happen for the Texas offense. It makes quarterback David Ash better, it makes the entire group of offensive players better. It makes the entire team better.
The Texas coaches must find a way to get Monroe and Johnson more involved. It’s as simple as that. They are far too valuable to the team to be watching from the sidelines.
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